Reactive volt-ampere meter



Oct. 22, 1929. E. E. LENEHANY 1,732,687

HEACTIVE VOLT AMPERE METER Filed April 29, 1927 WiTNESSES:

INVENTOR y fierna/t/filenehan. (Zfiflf fiiy ATTORNEY l atented Get. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES ldlllWABD IE. LENEHAN, 0F WILKINSBURG,

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGN'IDR 'lltl W HUUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATIUN' Ulti Plil'lllltilltll VANIA Application filed April 29,

My invention relates to electrical measuring instruments, and more particularly to means tor measuring the reactive volt amperes in a polyphase system of alterlll Eli

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, hating-current circuits.

An object of my invention is to provide an instrument that shall accurately measure the reactive volt amperes traversing a poly phase system.

llnother object of my invention is to provide an instrumentot the above indicated character that shall operate without the aid of external reactors.

ll turther object of my invention is to pro vide a reactive volt ampere meter that shall be compact in construction, economical to manufacture and eli'ective in operation.

it still further object of my invention is to provide an improved method of measuring reactive volt amperes.

My invention is equally applicable to both indicating watt meters and integrating watthour meters, although I show a scheme for securing only instantaneous indications of the reactive volt-amperes traversing a polyphase circuit.

l leret-ofore means have been suggested for measuring the reactive volt amperes of alternating-current circuits but such means have usually been comparatively complicated in that they require external reactors and more or less complicated wiring systems.

lln practicing my invention I provide a device similar to an ordinary Watt meter, that is provided with current coils so wound and interconnected that when properly connected to an alternating-current circuit, the instrument measures reactive volt amperes in {a simple and expeditious manner.

My invention is applicable to three-phase systems connected in either delta or star. I make use of two actuating elements severally comprising a voltage coil and a doublywound current coil. Two armatures on the same shaft, the turning motion of which is opposed by a spring, are adapted to be moved by the co-operating fluxes resulting from the REAGTIVE VOLT-AMPERE METER 1927. Serial No. 187,41?-

phase system. The current coils consist ct two sectlons electrically insulated from each other. Une section or each coil is wound to have twice as many turns as the other, or, tor the same current passing through each sec tion one will have double the hurt strength of the other. The sections of the coils are connected in such manner that the section having more turns on one coil is in series with the section having fewer turns of the other coil, each such system being connected in series circuit relation with a phase or the three-phase system. Both current sections of one element are reversed with respect to lilo the current sections oil the other element. long as the voltages oi the system are bal anced such a scheme of connections causes the instrument to accurately measure the reactive-volt-amperes even tor unbalanced currents.

For a better understanding of my inven tion reference may be had to the accompany ing drawings, in which,

Figure l, is a diagrammatic view ot a meter constructed in accordance with my invention applied to a three phase system sup" plying a star connected. load,

Fig. 2 is a vector diagram oi the system shown in Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now more in detail to theldraw ing's, a three phase system 1 consisting ol phases A, B and C is electrically connected to supply a star connected three phase load 2. A Wattmetcr 3 constructed in accordance with my invention is connected to the system i to measure the reactive volt amperes consumed by the load 2.

The wattmeter 3 comprises an upper ele ment 4 and a lower element 5. The upper element 4 includes a voltage coil 6 and a doubly wound current coil consisting of a winding 7 and a winding 8, electrically insulated from each other. The windings 7 and 8 are shown spaced apart above and below the voltage Winding diagrammatically for purposes of clearness. llinding 8 is wound to have twice as many ampere turns as winding 7. The lower element 5 of the watttill lid

lid

ltltl meter 4 is similar in construction to the upper element 4, consisting of a voltage coil 9 and current windings 10 and 11.

In Fig. 3 the voltage coils 6 and 9 are movable with respect to the current coils of the elements 4 and 5. The voltage coils are mounted on a shaft 12 that has a hand or pointer 13 secured thereto for indicating, on a scale 14, the units of the quantity being measured, in this case watts, the quantity traversing the main circuits A, B and C. The turning motion of the shaft 12 is restrained by a spring 18. The voltage coils are provided with resistors 15 and 16 to limit the current traversing the respective windings 9 and 6.

The currents passing through the upper and lower windings produce fluxes that affect the armature of the meter in opposite directions, as is illustrated by the arrows. So long as the voltage polygon remains balanced the instrument will measure the reactive voltamperes accurately.

Referring to Fig. 2 showing the vector relations of the currents and voltages in the instrument coils, the triangle A B C represents the voltage triangle for the three phases of an electrical system, N being chosen as the neutral point. NA, NB and N G represent the voltages generated in the star'phase coils from phase to neutral. For a simplified proof, the currents are shown leading their respective phase voltages as represented by the vectors I 1,; and 1 In any polyphase system, the vector sum of the currents must equal zero, therefore, I and I are equal vectorially to I as shown in the vector diagram.

The current affecting element 4: isrepresented by the vector sum of I and +2I and this vector sum is shown by the Vector N1 Similarly the current affecting element 5 is represented by the vector sum of I and 2I which is shown by the Vector N1 bining I with a voltage perpendicular to E The torque actuating element 4 is proportional to the voltage traversing the coil (3 by the current traversing the coils 7 and 8 that are wound so that their fluxes combine. The voltage traversing the winding 6 is equal to by the voltage from neutral N to phase A. The flux from coil 8 is proportional to QI since it is doubly wound and therefore a torque proportional to /3E by 21 by the consine of the angle of phase difference between them is exerted between the coil 8 and the coil 6. The angle y between NC and I is 90 displaced with respect to AB which represents the phase position of /gE traversing the coil 6.

Therefore the torque exerted between coils 8 and 6 is proportional to the expression In the same manner fluxes from coils 7 and 6 cooperate to produce a torque proportional to m l-Ii cos (air-o1 (b) Combining expressions ((1) and (Z2) the torque actuating element 4 is proportional to \Vhere E is the voltage for any phase from neutral to line and is equal to E,,, E and E for balanced voltage conditions of the polyphase circuit.

The torque actuating element 5 is similarly proportional to:

@E[2I cos (90+a) +1 cos (30+'y)] (2) Since the movementsof both elements are on the same shaft the torque affecting the armature will be equivalent to the sum of expressions 1 and 2 that results in the expression:

/E[2I sin a-l-ZI sin 7+I cos (30+7)I cos (30-a)] (3) The angles of lead between the three load currents and their corresponding voltages are represented by a, B and y respectively.

Element 4 exerts a torque that is proportional to the product of the voltage E and the current (2I -I by the cosine of the angle between them. But since the effect of the resultant of the currents 21 and I -I cos (30a) +1 sin 7+I cos (30+;3) =0 (4) is the same as the sum of the separate effects of each they will be considered separately Similarly projecting the current vectors on the voltage vector CB gives I cos (30a) +I sin 7+I cos (30+;3) =0 (5) for purposes of clearness.

The instrument is caused to indicate reactive-volt-amperes by combining I with a voltage perpendicular to E and by com- Substituting values of I cos (30-a) I cos (30 iii manner (3) We have a function,

tential coils :lor producing; an indicating WEQL sin a-HZI sin a sin at" 1 cos (Bil dfl l sin 'pla cos (Elll +6) (c) it. An apparatus tor measuring the return WEN]; sin a) +2}; sin "yd-l [cos (30 -19) w )l Also the expression COS 1 "cos (30 +3) reduces to gcos 5+ sin 6" cos [3+ ssinfl=sin 5 therefore expression 7 becomes /EEU sin cr-l- 1}, sin fi-I- l sin y) The expression in parenthesis times E is the reactive volt amperes of the circuit and the instrument reads, therefore, the product of the reactive volt amperes of the circuit by the a/g. The constant represented by the a/ is included in the calibration of the instrument so that the latter reads reactive volt amperes directly.

By the application of my invention an ordinary' vvattmeter or Watthour meter may be easily and readily changed into an accurate reactive volt ampere meter. The cost of such a changeover is negligible because no external reactors or extra resistances are re" quired to improve the operation of the device. struments is accomplished when it is remembered that those instruments depending upon external reactors for their operation are relatively expensive due to the fact that the reactors must be made to an exact reactance in order that the neutral ot the system Will be in its proper place.

Various changes may be made in the connections Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

l claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus tor tive volt amperes in a three phase system comprising two potential coils connected across different phases of the system, two differ entially Wound current coils cooperating one With each potential coil, each current coil consisting of two portions electrically insulated from each other, one portion having substantially double the strength oi the other portion, the strong portion of one current coil being connected with the vvealr portion of the other coil in series circuit relation with one phase ot the system, and the strong pop tion oi the other current coil being connected with the Wool; portion ot the first current coil in series circuit relation with another phase oi the system, and means tor utilising the torques produced by the current and po- Quite a saving in the cost of such in-' measuring the reactive volt-amperes in a three-phase comprising two potential coil. 1 entially connected current coils each hav two portions one oil which so a i: double the strength oi the other, the L portion of each current coil bei" v With the'vvealr portion oi the v or current coil, the tvvo current coils co-op rating one vvith each potential coil, and means for utili." ing the torques produced by the current an potential coils t'or performing an indicatin iunction.

3, It. meter comprising a plurality oi coacting relatively movable dun producing ole-- mcnts, each of said elements severally comprising a coil energized in accordance With voltage and a plurality of coils energized in accordance with current, said current coils being dilierentially Wound and ot' diii'erent flux producing ability, a three-phase cur rent transmitting system, means for connect ing the voltage coils betvveen the phases of said system, and for each element means con-- necting the low-flux current coil of one element and the high tlun current coil oi another element in series circuit relation With one of the phases of said system t. A measuring instrument comprising tvvo meters severally consisting of two separate diil'erentially Wound current, coils havin ainpere-turn ratios of substantially two to one and a voltage coil coacting therewith, and in both meters means connecting the highempere-turn current coil ct one meter in series-- circuit relation with the loiv-ampcroturn current coil of the other meter.

5. A measuring instrument comprisin "two meters severally consisting ot" two difi'erentially Wound current coils ampere-turn ratios ot' substa "all"; tyvo one and a voltage coil coacting therewith, said current coils being lined relative to ea other and said voltage coils also being lured. relative to each other but relatively movable with respect to said current coils, and in be th meters means connecting the lug-hemp turn current coil oi one meter in series-c cuit relation "with the loiv-ampereturn cm rent coil ot the other meter.

6. ln combination, a. three-phase three bl ll ltlfi tween one of said two wires and the third wire, and in both meters means severally connecting said low-ampere-turn coil of one meter in series-circuit relation with said high-ampere-turn coil of the other meter and means for energizing eachofsaid currentcoil series circuits in accordance with the cur rent traversing one of the phases of said sys-'- tem.

7. A measuring instrument for a threel I phase circuit, comprising two meter elements for driving armatures connected to the same shaft, each of said meter elements comprising two current coils and each of said armatures comprising a voltage coil connected between different phases of said circuit, said current coils in each of said meter elements being differentially wound and having an ampere-turn ratio of two to one, the owamp'ere-turn coil of one meter being connected in series-circuit relation with the highampere-turn coil of the other meter and means for energizing each of said currentcoil circuits in accordance with the current traversing one of the phases of said circuit.

8. A measuring instrument comprising a plurality of meters having their armatures connected together, said meters severally consisting of two separate differentially wound coils having ampere-turn ratios.of substantially two to one and a third coil coacting therewith, and in said meters means connecting the high-ampere-turn coil of one meter in series-circuit relation with the low-ampore-turn coil of the other meter.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 26th day of April, 1927.

BERNARD E. LENEHAN. 

